u/samaxidervish

AliExpress is a total scam.

I tried to buy a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W and found a few listings around $30. That’s already above what it should cost, but still acceptable given the shortages. All of them claimed to be in stock.

So I placed an order.

Then I get a WhatsApp message from the seller saying it’s “not in stock.” I ask when it’ll be available again and suddenly the price has doubled (How original!!!!!). Of course. I cancel and request a refund.

Here’s the part that makes this even worse: in my country, banks take around 18% commission both when you pay and when you receive money back. So every refund basically burns approx. 30% of your money for nothing.

Fine. I try again.

I find another listing, slightly more expensive, around $34, but still reasonable. It says 99+ units available. Great. I order it.

Now the seller just doesn’t ship. Then they tell me, again , “no stock.” Meanwhile, I’m pretty sure they do have stock, they just don’t want to sell it at the listed price anymore and are waiting to push it up to $47.

And AliExpress support? Completely useless. No enforcement, no accountability, nothing.

If I cancel again, I lose another 30% to bank fees. For absolutely nothing. Not to mention the time wasted.

This is a broken system that actively scam buyers.